1. Technical Field
The invention disclosed broadly relates to data processing systems and methods and more particularly relates to the management of document images in a case processing system.
2. Related Inventions
The following patent applications are assigned to the IBM Corporation and are incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 211,646, filed Jun. 27, 1988 entitled "Dual Density Digital Image System." PA1 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 211,722, filed Jun. 27, 1988 entitled "Object Management and Delivery System Having Multiple Object-Resolution Capability." PA1 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 326,338, filed Mar. 21, 1989 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Merging a Digitized Image With an Alphanumeric Character String." PA1 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 407,184, filed Sep. 14, 1989 entitled "Distributed Image Storage and Retrieval System." PA1 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 478,325, filed Feb. 12, 1990 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Adaptive Image Processing."
3. Background Information
In the past, documents have been stored in the hard copy form. The storage space, loss of documents, misplacement of documents, and the retrieval of hard copy documents created many problems facing applications which process large volumes of documents. High storage costs, lost productivity, personnel costs and poor responsiveness have been characteristics of earlier document processing. Until recently, technology could not provide a cost-effective approach for reducing the disadvantages of storing and manipulating documents on hard copy. However, image storage and retrieval systems such as those described in the above referenced patent applications, have provided an effective and comprehensive solution to both the paper and the work flow problems. What is now needed, is a method for document image management in a case processing system.
4. Definitions
The following definitions will be used herein.
Case: A uniquely identifiable work item initiated by a user. The case may be active, that is open and being worked, pended, that is suspended awaiting further information, closed where the processing is complete, new or not yet processed, and uncued.
Case File: A file that contains one entry for each case.
Case ID: A system assigned ID which is chronological based on the time that indexing occurred. Every case has a unique case ID.
DASD: A direct access storage device, a device in which access time is effectively independent of the location of the data.
Departmental Processor: A system that contains a case processing program. Such a system provides a user interface software, optical library system, and CPU host.
Document: One or more physical pages. The contents or bounds of a document are initially determined by the creator of the document and they include the packaging medium such as an envelope.
Document Type Profile: A file that contains one entry for each type of document to be processed.
Folder: A folder represents a logical collection of documents of one or more pages related by unique identifier, corresponding to a case.
Identifier: The highest level value used to index, search or access documents in the system, for example a policy number or social security number. There may be more than one case for each identifier.
Index: The process of associating a scanned image with a case or identifier.
Optical Library Storage: The hardware and software that provides the long term storage of the image data on an optical storage medium.
Page Image: The electronic representation of a single physical page. The bounds of a page image are determined by the electro-mechanical characteristics of the scanning equipment, along with the image capture application specifications in the receiving data processing system.
Page Scan: The electro-mechanical process of scanning a physical page (paper) to create a bit image of the page.
Pend: The suspension of a case while awaiting additional information or action, such as a particular document type or date.
Profile: A file that governs the categories of work performed and the type of users recognized by the system.
Queue: A line or list of items waiting to be processed, for example cases to be worked or messages to be displayed.
Queue Type Profile: A file that contains one entry for each queue type defined.
Scanning: A physical process that enters documents into a workstation. Once a document has been scanned, it can be stored permanently.
Workstation: An assemblage of units including a personal computer, workstation program software, an image display unit, scanners, and printers with which the user performs input, indexing and printing of images and alphanumeric text.
Workstation Program Software: Software that resides in the workstation. It provides services for the case management program and the image processing program for the display and printing of page images and alphanumeric coded data. The workstation program also provides for page capture, document image composition, image page working set interpretation and display, and document image transfer to the image processor.